The Philadelphia Story: The 1980 Phillies & Flyers, Sixers, Eagles
No city has ever won the Grand Slam of Professional Sports—that is to win the Stanley Cup, NBA Finals, and World Series & Super Bowl in the same year. But the city of Philadelphia made a spirited run at it in 1980, putting a team into the championship round in all four sports, and for none was the success longer in coming than for the 1980 Phillies.
GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today.
The Flyers were the most recent champion, having won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974-75 and they made it back to the Finals before losing to the New York Islanders. Hockey was just part of the excitement of spring in Philly—the 76ers made the NBA Finals for the second time in four years, though they too came up short of a title.
Fortunately, by the time that game was played, the good people of Philadelphia knew they would have at least one championship in the bag. The Phillies had not won the World Series since 1915 and had recent frustration, in the form of National League Championship Series each year from 1976-78.
The 1980 Phils didn’t always make it look easy—in fact they never did—but they only added to the charm and the legend as they won arguably greatest League Championship Series ever played against the Houston Astros and then dispatched the Kansas City Royals to finally get the long-sought World Series ring and ensure that 1980 in Philadelphia sports wouldn’t be remembered for an 0-for-4 in championship rounds, but for being one of the great displays any city has ever put on.
Read more about the 1980 Philadelphia Phillies
Read more about the 1980 Philadelphia Flyers
Read more about the 1980 Philadelphia 76ers
Read more about the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles
SportsNotebook Featured Products
View Our Complete Catalog
TheSportsNotebook.com is home to an extensive archive of sports history articles along with blog posts on contemporary sports.
History of the Final Four
NCAA Basketball
Super Bowl Past
NFL
History of the Final Four
NCAA Basketball
Super Bowl Past
NFL
History of the Final Four
NCAA Basketball
Super Bowl Past
NFL
SportsNoteBook Articles
- Uncategorized
- Stanley Cup History
- Sports History Articles
- NFL History Articles
- NBA History Articles
- MLB History
- College Football History Articles
- College Basketball History Articles
- Blog
NFL Notebook: Early Check-In – NFC South
Tampa Bay is setting an early pace. Will Atlanta keep up or will Carolina surprise? We assess.
NFL Notebook: Early Check-In – AFC North
A rash of injuries have torn this division asunder. We assess whether anyone can catch Pittsburgh and how good the Steelers can be.
MLB Notebook: League Championship Series Preview
It’s Seattle-Toronto and LA Dodgers-Milwaukee for their league’s respective pennants. We preview each series.
MLB Notebook: Division Series Recaps
The Blue Jays, Mariners, Brewers and Dodgers are all advancing. Read how they did it.
1978 Marquette Basketball: From McGuire To Raymonds
Marquette basketball was facing a new world in 1978, one without Al McGuire. Their great head coach had gone out in a blaze of glory in 1977, winning the national championship after announcing his retirement. Al’s top assistant, Hank Raymonds, was promoted to the head job. Throughout the regular season, it looked like nothing had […]
1976 New York Yankees: Steinbrenner & Martin Bring The Yanks Back
George Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973 and towards the end of the 1975 season, he hired Billy Martin as manager. The 1976 New York Yankees would be George & Billy’s first run together, and they returned this proud franchise to prominence.
NHL Notebook: A New Season Opens
A new NHL season begins. On the long road to the playoffs, here are some storylines to watch in the early going.
The 1976 Boston Red Sox: Underachievment & Unfulfilled Potential
The 1976 Boston Red Sox were a young team with solid veteran leadership, coming off a season that saw them come within one run of a World Series title. By rights, 1976 should have been a big year with another run at what was then an elusive championship for the franchise. Instead, the year was marked by drama off the field and underachievement on it.